The 51 Milestones Of GM China In 2014

General Motors and its various joint ventures sold an astounding 3,160,377 vehicles in China in calendar year 2013. No matter how you look at it, that’s impressive. But sales increased to 3,539,970 vehicles in calendar year 2014, an increase of 12 percent on a year-over-year basis. That’s not just impressive. It’s jaw-dropping impressive.

In fact, 2014 sales results entirely and completely obliterated any and all previous sales records. So to look back on 2014, GM China provided us with a nice list of its 2014 milestones. There are 51 one of them, so take a nice deep breath, a favorite beverage, and enjoy:

1. January 7: GM announced that it sold a record 3,160,377 vehicles in China in 2013. Sales increased 11.4 percent from 2012.
2. February 13: Mary Barra made her first visit to China as GM’s CEO. She met with Shanghai Mayor Yang Xiong and representatives from GM’s joint ventures.
3. March 18: Buick joined CCTV to support the Good Drivers of China campaign, which was created to promote good driving habits nationwide.
4. March 21: Shanghai GM launched the 2014 Cadillac XTS luxury sedan.
5. April 3: The GM China Advanced Technical Center announced the start of operation of its Vertical Squeeze Casting (VSC) machine – the first in the world designed for developing next-generation magnesium castings.
6. April 12: Shanghai GM launched the new Buick Enclave SUV and new Buick GL8 MPV at Buick Night in Shanghai. It also announced the new “Route Awakening” China Culture Tour to showcase traditional Chinese culture and support the protection of China’s cultural heritage.
7. April 19: Shanghai GM launched the Chevrolet Trax urban SUV and hosted the world premiere of the new-generation Chevrolet Cruze at Chevrolet Night in Beijing.
8. April 20: GM and its joint ventures began showcasing 37 production and concept vehicles under five brands at Auto China 2014 in Beijing.
9. April 20: Shanghai OnStar introduced an upgraded voice recognition system, a new-generation mobile app and an enhanced security service.
10. April 20: GM President Dan Ammann and GM Executive Vice President and GM China President Matt Tsien announced GM’s investment and growth plans in China.
11. April 30: GM China supported the opening of a Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education (PACE) Center at the Wuhan University of Technology to help prepare students for careers in design and engineering.
12. May 8: For meeting the ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry for a second time, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) honored Shanghai GM Dong Yue Automotive Powertrain in Yantai, Shandong, and the Shanghai GM Jinqiao North Plant in Shanghai.
13. May 16: Shanghai GM announced the opening of the Buick Aftersales Flagship Store on Tmall.com.
14. May 30: The “All for Dramatic” – 2014 Cadillac Design Art Show showcased a range of Cadillac models alongside works by prominent local and global artists.
15. May 31: Sales of the Buick Encore in China surpassed 100,000 units since the SUV’s introduction in late 2012.
16. June 1: GM China employee volunteers taught at the Shuanggang Primary School in Tongyu County, Jilin, as part of the Chevrolet Red Chalk Program.
17. June 6: Shanghai GM launched the new Chevrolet Aveo family car.
18. June 21: The Safe Kids Safe Ride Program was launched by GM China in cooperation with Safe Kids Worldwide to reduce vehicle-related child injuries and raise public awareness of child safety in and around vehicles. Employee volunteers from GM China and its joint ventures supported 30 activities at kindergartens and primary schools.
19. June 28: The 2014 GM China Consumer Fuel-Saving Challenge kicked off in Huzhou, Zhejiang, to demonstrate how GM is addressing demand for high fuel efficiency through the products it builds and sells across China. Activities were also held in Weifang, Shandong, and Guiyang, Guizhou, in 2014.
20. July 2: Shanghai GM sold its 1 millionth Chevrolet Sail since the introduction of the current generation of the small car in 2010.
21. July 8: Shanghai OnStar introduced the Vehicle Alarm Notification service.
22. July 9: The “Enjoy My Way” 2014 GM China Premium Business Vehicle Experience Tour – which showcased the Cadillac XTS, new Cadillac CTS, Buick LaCrosse and Buick GL8 – began in Shanghai.
23. July 12: SAIC-GM-Wuling broke ground for its new R&D center and proving ground in Liuzhou, Guangxi, to support the development of new vehicles for China.
24. July 25: GM China was named the fourth-best Fortune 500 company in the area of corporate social responsibility at the 2014 Corporate Social Responsibility Annual Conference in Beijing.
25. July 30: SAIC-GM-Wuling launched the Baojun 730 seven-seat family vehicle.
26. August 15: Shanghai GM launched the Cadillac ATS-L luxury sport sedan.
27. August 18: Shanghai GM Norsom Motors opened its Phase III manufacturing facility in Shenyang, Liaoning.
28. August 22: Shanghai GM launched the new Chevrolet Cruze midsize (actually a compact) performance sedan.
29. August 27: Shanghai GM launched the MyChevy online 4S store.
30. August 28: Shanghai OnStar became China’s first telematics service provider to launch a service platform on WeChat.
31. August 28: Shanghai GM launched the Buick Envision premium midsize (actually a compact) SUV.
32. September 4: GM Executive Vice President and President of GM China Matt Tsien received the Magnolia Award from the Shanghai Municipal Government for contributions to the economic and social development of Shanghai.
33. September 23: Shanghai GM and Shanghai Disney Resort announced Shanghai GM as Shanghai Disney Resort’s long-term strategic alliance participant.
34. September 24: GM surpassed 20 million cumulative sales in China.
35. September 26: Shanghai OnStar announced the launch of the Trip Wizard website map service and upgraded OnStar mobile app. It also began cooperation with AutoNavi to open up a new era of worry-free travel.
36. October 17: GM Executive Vice President and President of GM China Matt Tsien discussed GM’s vision for making urban mobility and intelligent driving solutions a reality, along with the important role that China is playing, at the Fifth Annual Meeting of the Global Automotive Forum in Wuhan.
37. October 17: Shanghai OnStar announced that during China’s “Golden Week” holiday from October 1-7, it set several records for incoming calls and mobile app service volume.
38. November 6: For meeting the ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) honored the Shanghai GM Dong Yue Foundry in Yantai, Shandong; SAIC-GM-Wuling Qingdao Assembly Plant and Engine Plant in Qingdao, Shandong; Shanghai GM Jinqiao Powertrain Plant in Shanghai; and Shanghai GM Norsom Motors Assembly Plant #2 in Shenyang, Liaoning.
39. November 12: Shanghai OnStar opened its third call center in Chongqing to support the rising demand for its services, joining its call centers in Shanghai and Xiamen.
40. November 13: GM was recognized by the Wildlife Habitat Council for creating a wildlife habitat and enhancing biodiversity at the Guangde Proving Ground in Anhui. It was the first company in China to earn certification from the international nonprofit organization for its habitat program.
41. November 14: GM achieved 3 million sales in China in 2014. It was the second consecutive year that it reached the mark.
42. November 19: GM China signed a memorandum of understanding with Shanghai Jiao Tong University to collaborate on a vehicle sharing program featuring the Chevrolet EN-V 2.0 (Electric Networked-Vehicle) starting in 2015.
43. November 20: The Chevrolet Sail 3, Chevrolet Camaro RS Limited Edition and Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Coupe made their China debut at the 12th Guangzhou International Auto Show.
44. November 30: Shanghai OnStar’s number of active subscribers reached 800,000.
45. December 1: GM China volunteers visited the former Ya’an earthquake zone in Sichuan to inspect the four clinics and four multimedia classrooms built with funds donated by GM China and its employees, and provide traffic safety lessons to local primary school students.
46. December 5: In Shanghai, GM President Dan Ammann and GM Executive Vice President and Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen discussed the importance of China for Cadillac and the brand’s upcoming plans.
47. December 8: Shanghai GM announced that it surpassed 10 million sales since its establishment in 1997.
48. December 14: SAIC-GM-Wuling celebrated the start of production at its new manufacturing base in Chongqing. It also signed an agreement for the second phase of production at the facility.
49. December 18: Shanghai GM launched the Chevrolet Sail 3 family car.
50. December 22: Sales of the Buick GL8 in China reached 600,000 units since the MPV’s market launch in 2000.
51. December 31: GM and its joint ventures set an all-time monthly sales record in China of 357,375 vehicles in December.

All those efforts, and countless more that went undocumented above, resulted in 3,539,970 vehicle sales, the equivalent of one vehicle sold every nine seconds, or 8,700 vehicles sold every day. Here’s to an even stronger 2015!